B.C. RCMP are investigating if two people involved in a deadly crash had been at a “liquor establishment” in Banff, Alta., before the collision. Members of the Columbia Valley RCMP detachment were called to a single-vehicle crash on Highway 93 in Kootenay National Park just after 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. Mounties arrived at the scene, just north of the Floe Lake trailhead, to find a black Nissan Maxima on its side after leaving the road and traveling down an embankment. RCMP say a 23-year-old passenger from Invermere, B.C., died in the crash, while the female driver wasn’t seriously hurt. “Police are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision and have not ruled out any factors that may have contributed to it,” said Sgt. Brett Reiben. “Investigators believe there may be witnesses who stopped at the collision, or witnessed the events leading up to it, or the vehicle’s operation before the crash, but have not yet spoken to police.” RCMP are asking for anyone who witnessed the collision or has any dash-camera footage of the black Nissan Maxima in the hours leading up to the crash — including potential visits to restaurants or bars in Banff — to contact B.C. Highway Patrol Cranbrook at 250-420-4244.
